


Imposter

by OceanSt



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27599189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OceanSt/pseuds/OceanSt
Summary: What if Dimitri had died during the tragedy of Duscar? What if the Dimitri we all know and love isn’t the real prince of Faerghus?AU where Rhea picks an imprisoned child become the prince of Faerghus to hide the mysterious death of Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. The Woman with Green Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> So, the child in this story is our Dimitri. It’s the baby Dimitri (pre-Duscar) that’s not our Dimitri... does that make any sense? They’re different people now.

The air smelled musty, like a mix of wet sand and dust, which made sense because the place was covered in said sand and dust. Water was dripping from the ceiling into a puddle every few seconds, like a ticking of an old clock. And it was dark, with only distant lanterns lighting up stone walls of the prison.  
A boy, chained up in a cell farthest down the hall, lay on his side, listening to the dripping water. He gently rubbed his calloused fingers against the cold floor in rhythm with the drips, trying to drift off to sleep.  
On the far side of the prison, a door clambered open, echoing against the walls. It roused the boy enough to open his eyes.  
Footsteps sounded across the chamber joined with a mixture of voices, something the boy hadn’t heard in a while. What were these people here for? Another experiment? Or were they finally here to put him out of his misery?  
“...weren’t expecting you… unable to get any new results… messed up…” Pieces of the conversation bounced in his vicinity, enough to hear phrases but most of it sounded weird and wharbled and he ended up filtering the noise out. Shadows flickered in strange shapes along the wall, growing closer to the cell until the boy could make out figures attached to the shadows.  
There were three. Two of which he knew: a short and stout scientist, the one who worked the experiments, donning brown robes and a clean shaven head. The other, a tall and stocky knight clad in silver armor, who delivered food and guarded the cells.  
And the last, one which the boy could not recognize. There was a woman, wearing a white embroidered dress and an elaborate headdress. Her hair looked deep blue in the dark, and her eyes glowed a brilliant green. She walked as if she floated on clouds. Graceful.  
The boy squinted as she grew closer to his cell, led by her two companions. She was staring at him, and her gaze created a chilling sensation, like worms crawling under his skin.  
The trio stopped in front of the boy’s cell, no longer talking. There was an awkward silence between them until the scientist spoke up.  
“Well, this is the one you wanted to see.” He sighed. “The experiments have increased his crest capacity greatly, but he won’t use it unless provoked.”  
The woman looked over the boy, and for a short second, they made eye contact, until he lost his nerve and looked elsewhere.  
“And he has the same crest, you say?” She asked.  
“We implanted the Blaiddyd Crest, yes.” The scientist nodded.  
The woman clapped her hands.“Excellent. May I get a closer look at him?”  
“Sure thing. Bard?”  
The knight, Bard, as the boy was only now learning his name, fished through a pouch around his waist, obviously having difficulty seeing in the dim light. At some point, he procured a key, raising it in half-hearted triumph before sticking it into the cell lock. With a gentle pull and a groaning squeak of rusted hindges, the door opened.  
The woman pushed passed the two men into the damp cell and squatted down in front of him. She was smiling.  
“Hello, young man.” She said softly. “My name is Lady Rhea. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”  
The boy sat up on one elbow, intrigued. Nobody had started a conversation with him in a long time. It was jarring.  
“Be careful, my lady.” The scientist called out. “He’s dangerous. Last time he lashed out, he broke someone’s arm.”  
Lady Rhea ignored him, brushing back some ratty blond hair from the boy’s eyes, still beaming.  
“And he can look the part too…” She muttered under her breath. “With a little work, of course.”  
The boy stared at her in silence, while the scientist began to whisper to Bard, giving him side glances as if expecting him to turn into a feral animal.  
“What’s your name, my child?” Rhea asked.  
“206359.” The boy answerd automatically, his voice raspy from lack of use. “It’s… it’s the name the scientists gave me.”  
Lady Rhea pursed her lips at his answer, and her eyes flickered to the boy’s left wrist, where a tattoo of the numbers lay, partly obscured by a shackle.  
“Don’t you have another name?” She pressed.  
“No.” The boy shook his head. “I was born here. It’s the only name I’ve got.”  
“Well, not anymore.” Lady Rhea returned to her smile, and rested her hand over the black numbers on the boy’s wrist. “We’re going to change that.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“From now on,” Lady Rhea pointed at him with visible enthusiasm. “You’ll be known as Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd.”  
“Dim… what?” The boy asked. The name was long and sounded like a jumble of words. “I don’t understand.”  
Lady Rhea didn’t respond; she merely motioned to Bard to come over, keeping her eyes trained on the boy.  
Bard reached around with a new key, one fresh of scratches and use, and began to unlock the shackles on the boy’s wrists and ankles, exposing raw, chafed skin muddled with bruises. The boy watched in bewilderment as Rhea lifted him off the ground onto his feet and beckoned him to follow.  
“Lady Rhea, are you sure about this?” The scientist asked, unable to hide the quiver in his voice. “He’s a weapon of destruction, not some political tool!”  
“Oh, I’m very sure.” She took the boy’s hand and began to walk down the chamber. “This’ll be my new project.”  
The boy followed alongside Lady Rhea, awkwardly trying to match her long strides. He was rather intrigued with the idea of leaving the facility, the one he’d spent his whole life in. Whatever this Lady Rhea’s intentions were, the boy didn’t care. He was leaving this place.

Seeing sunlight for the first time in many years was a blessing and a curse. It was warm and nostalgic, like an old memory of an embrace, but it’s brightness was painful for the boy’s eyes, who was so used to the dark and dank. Immediately, as soon as they excited the facility, his eyes began to water, running clean streaks down his dirty cheeks.  
“Don’t worry, Dimitri.” Lady Rhea took his hand and began to guide him down the path. “You’ll get used to it.”  
Right. Dimitri. That was his name now. No longer 206359. Those numbers on his wrist were now a past life.  
As they continued to walk away from the building, Dimitri glanced behind them at it. From the outside, it looked different. The walls were made of heavy stone, stained by the sun, surrounded by fields of grass for as far as the eye could see. It was crumbling a little, like an old castle, but nothing like the slimy dungeons underneath it. Maybe like, an army base. Or an abandoned fort. Dimitri had read of such things in the facility library, before they implanted a crest on him. Afterwards, it was off limits. Actually, everything had become off limits. Except for those dungeons.  
“Alright, Dimitri. Step up.”  
Whirling his head away from the facility, Dimitri turned to see what Lady Rhea had prepared.  
It was a carriage. Painted light blue with a swirling gold trim and glass windows. A large, brown horse stood at the front, adorned with a red bridge and reins braided with silver. And an older man sat at the front, wearing strange armor.  
Dimitri started in awe. He’d never seen anything like it. He vaguely remembered a book describing a carriage but this was the first time he’d ever seen one.  
“Come on, then.” Rhea gently pulled on his arm. “You can admire it later.”  
The two of them entered the carriage and settled in the soft blue seats inside. Dimitri sat across from Lady Rhea, watching her pull the door shut. And then, the carriage lurched forward and began to move.  
Dimitri leaned forward from his seat to stare through the window. His eyes still ached from the brightness, but he was too excited to see this new world, watching the seemingly endless hills of grass go by. It was so different from what he was used to.  
Dimitri was so entranced by the passing landscape that he didn’t notice Lady Rhea was looking at him until she spoke.  
“I suppose you’re wondering why I brought you here.”  
Dimitri managed to tear his gaze away from the window to face her. He began to figit, pulling loose threads from his ratty clothes and pulling at his hair. Her eyes were piercing.  
“I guess, yeah.” He tilted his head. “I’ve been living in that facility for as long as I can remember. Why’d you rescue me? And how’d you find out where I was?”  
“All good questions.” Lady Rhea answered. “Which will be answered in time. All you really need to know for know is what I have planned for you.”  
“Alright…” Dimitri bit his lip, somewhat disappointed.  
“Good.” Lady Rhea beamed. “Well, first, you should know that I am the head of a religious organization, known as the Church of Seiros. Have you heard of that?”  
Dimitri wracked his brain, but none of the books he’d read had ever covered anything like that. He shook his head.  
“It’s quite an influential part of Fodlan. The headquarters lay at a foundation known as Garreg Mach Monastery.”  
Dimitri nodded slowly, trying to etch the information in his mind. The words were big though, and he’d already forgotten the name of the church.  
“It is where we are going.” Lady Rhea went on. “And it is there I will raise you. At least for a little while.”  
“Raise me?” Dimitri asked. “Like your son?”  
Lady Rhea chuckled and shook her head, causing the tassels on her headdress to flap back and forth.  
“Oh, no, not like that, dear child.” She waved her head. “I’m going to raise you as a prince.”


	2. Pearls before Swine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. Thanks for the support, guys. We’ll be getting longer chapters after this.

The monastery was much larger than Dimitri had anticipated. He expected a small, humble church building with a single courtyard or something. Not a giant fortress with dozens of courtyards, stables, a fishing pond, and even a private cemetery. It looked like its own castle. 

The sun had sunken somewhat below the horizon by that point, with the scenery painted in a lower light and shadows. It was easier on the eyes, but it also somehow made the place look even bigger. 

As Dimitri followed Lady Rhea around, terrified of getting lost, he began to wonder the depths of what he had just been thrown into. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. 

To make things simple, Lady Rhea had explained to him, Dimitri would be “filling in”, as so to speak. The royal family of the neighboring kingdom, known as Faerghus, had suffered an attack on the noble family a few months ago, resulting in all of their deaths. And he was to play as a surviving prince.

Dimitri shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts. Why was this plan so important to Rhea that she plucked a child from the dungeon of a forgotten crest research facility? And how exactly did she expect him to play the part, as a boy who had hardly ever been outside in his lifetime? Why him?

“If you keep scowling like that, you’re bound to get stress lines.” Lady Rhea chuckled. “And that’s not very fitting for a prince.”

“I’m a little worried about this prince thing.” Dimitri admitted, still staring at the scenery, “Isn’t it like, you know, lying?”

“Oh, Dimitri, dear.” Rhea sighed and rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. “It’s not lying. It’s simply bending a few truths.” She knelt down to Dimitri’s height to look into his eyes. “Besides, I’m trying to help. You don’t want to go back to the horrible research facility, do you?”

Just the thought sent Dimitri’s stomach squirming and he violently shook his head, blocking out the memories of those dark and damp dungeons.

“I thought so.” Lady Rhea took him by the hand again and began to lead him toward the main building, up a long set of stairs. “Now, let me show you where you’ll be staying.”

  
  


The living quarters were set up down a long corridor, with rooms lined up on either side. The floor was wooden and covered in a soft blue carpet, and Lady Rhea led Dimitri down the hall to the farthest room on the left. 

“Hey you go, child.” Lady Rhea opened up the door for him, and gently pushed him inside. “This is where you’ll be living.”

The room itself was much bigger than any cell Dimitri had stayed in. It could fit at least three cells. Maybe even five. 

There was a long bed with white sheets in the far corner of the room, next to a glass window that showed the edge of the monastery and into rolling hills. Bookcases lined the wall, joined with a desk and closet on the side. It was very… elaborate.

Dimitri stood in the doorway, staring at it all in awe. There were so many new books to read! So many sights to see, and things to touch! As Dimitri took a step towards the room, Lady Rhea stopped him with a touch on the shoulder. 

“Wait just a minute.” She declared. “As much as I’m sure you’d love to indulge yourself,” She paused and guestered to him. “You’re absolutely filthy.”

_ Oh.  _ Dimitri glanced down at himself, now aware of the stark contrast in their appearances. His hair was oily and mangled, his clothes were ragged and gray, and he was sure there was dirt ingrained into his skin. He wasn’t even wearing shoes. 

Rhea on the other hand, was pristine, with her shiny hair combed in place, pure white robes and glimmering jewelry. 

The differences were downright embarrassing. 

Lady Rhea must’ve noticed his chagrin, as she merely brightened her smile and took hold of his wrist.

“We’ll get your cleaned up. Not to worry.” She said. “The washroom is right down the hall here.”

At the first door down the corridor, they stopped and Rhea released his arm. 

“I’ll go fetch you something to wear, alright?” She told him. “And I’ll alert a staff member to bring some warm water.”

And away she went, with Dimitri standing awkwardly in the hallway, too nervous to open the door.

Standing in the empty corridor, he glued his eyes to the floor, completely bewildered. One minute he was locked up in a disgusting cell, and the next, invited to a castle. He’d never dreamed he’d be able to go outside again, much less stay in a place like this. And as a  _ prince _ ? Out of the question. He’d never pull that off. Not in a thousand-

“Young man?”

A fruity voice broke Dimitri’s train of thought, effectively startling him. He managed to glance up at the person who spoke, catching a glimpse of a stout woman with a reddish face, holding two large buckets. Unable to hold eye contact for more than a second, Dimitri looked down at the floor. 

“Um, yes?” He squeaked. 

“Could you get the door for me? My hands are full.”

“Uh, yeah of course.” 

Dimitri scrambled for the door knob and yanked it open wide, light pouring in from the room. The walls and floor were made of white stone, adored with a long mirror on one side and a window framed with red curtains. A large basin sat in the center of the room, empty and waiting. 

Dimitri leaned against the door. allowing the woman to enter. She hobbled in with the bucket, like some sort of pigeon, and leaned over the basin. She placed one bucket by her feet and held up the other, tipping it on its side. Steaming hot water poured out of it into the basin, splashing against the sides. 

While she emptied the second bucket, Rhea returned, holding a bundle of fabric. 

“There you are.” She smiled when she saw Dimitri still leaning against the door. She extended her arms to him and presented the bundle. “Put these on when you’re done washing up, alright?”

Dimitri nodded, muttering his thanks before looking back towards the maid. She had finished pouring the water and was looking back at him. 

Even as Dimitri shot his eyes to the floor, he could feel her eyes on him. Raking over him, observing him, judging him. Taking note of how filthy he was, how someone of his kind shouldn’t even  _ be  _ here. It felt like fire on his skin. 

“Thank you, Rhonda.” Rhea addressed her. “You’re excused.”

The maid left, her empty buckets bumping against her skirts. 

Rhea turned her attention back to Dimitri, as if the maid had never been there. 

“Take all the time you need.” She said, warmly. 

And she left, leaving Dimitri to his own devices. 

He waited at least five minutes in silence before allowing the door to swing shut in case Rhea came back to tell him something. Like she’d changed her mind and wanted him thrown back into the prisons. Or maybe the maid running back, yelling he shouldn’t be here. Something along those lines. 

But nobody came. It was erie quiet, in fact, save for the wind rushing through the window left ajar, gently blowing the curtains. 

When Dimitri met his shy gaze in the mirror, he winced at his haggard appearance. His hair was matted and hung loosely around his shoulders, and was so caked with grime and dirt that he couldn’t tell its natural color. His face was coated in dirt, like a mask of gray fuzz, and his blue eyes seemed to glow from behind long bangs. He was a sight to behold. Like some filthy beast dug up from a grave. 

With a newfound determination, Dimitri stepped away from the mirror and peeled off the rags that clung to him, like he was shedding an old layer of skin. Gingerly, he climbed into the basin and sunk into it, dirt immediately coming loose in the water. 

If he was honest with himself, Dimitri couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a bath. To be fair, most of his memories were muddled with dark dungeons and painful experiments, but he couldn’t seem to recall ever being clean. 

_ Best to change that…  _ Dimitri ran his fingernails through his hair to soothe out the clumps. He wasn’t sure how much of it was salvageable.  _ I’m starting a new life. _

With the best of his abilities, Dimitri scrubbed the dirt away until his skin shined a raw pink. The numbers on his wrist were more bold and the scars over his body shone with more contrast. Although still a tangled mess, his hair was now obviously blond, no longer a grayish brown. It was a start. 

When the basin had become more dirt than water, Dimitri dried himself off and dressed in the clothing Rhea had provided for him. It came as a bit of a surprise, the long sleeved white shirt, black trousers, and socks, at how soft they were. They were a bit big for him and hung loosely off his thin frame, but they weren’t hardened by stains or blood and didn’t scratch at his skin. It was kind of nice, actually. 

Yet, he felt awkward in it. Like Rhea had cast her pearls before swine. The maid probably thought that. Anyone probably would. He was just some mangy creature pulled from off the streets and dropped into a castle. It just didn’t make any sense. 

For a solid five seconds, Dimitri considered putting his old clothing back on but decided against it. If he got dirty all over again, Rhea probably wouldn’t appreciate it. She might scold him and decide she didn’t want him and send him back and… 

In the midst of his anxious thinking, Dimitri pulled at the new shirt, and in the process, ripped a round button clean off.

He cursed under his breath. That button probably cost more than his entire life. It didn’t occur to him that living in a more upstanding and decorative place might be more fragile. Not a good place for a reckless and amplified crest. 

Carefully, Dimitri slipped the button into his trouser pocket. Hopefully, he could get it fixed later before anyone would notice… if he could actually learn to fix anything at all, much less something as small and tedious as a button. 

This was going to be harder than he thought. 


End file.
